What It's Like
by Kitte-Wolf
Summary: What was she thinking? She broke his heart... Well, now she's dead I guess. Apologize from Artemis' POV. T for suicide.


**Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed Apologize and Play the Game Tonight! I love having everyone's support.**

**I don't own Young Justice or What it's Like. They belong to DC and Everlast respectively.**

I'm just hanging out with the Team. Wally has his arm around my shoulders as he doubles over with laughter. I'm grinning, watching Conner just stare at us like we're all headcases. Which, I guess we might just be.

_We've all seen the man at the liquor store beggin' for your change_

M'gann says something completely clueless, and looks around confused when we crack up again.

_**Recognized: Robin B01**_

"Hey, Rob's here now!" Wally brightens. He had been a little less bright recently because Robin had been spending more time with Zatanna. The kid was head-over-heels in love with the girl, even if she wasn't with him.

There's something a little off about him, but I brush it off when I see his smile. But I can't brush it off for long- there's a gloom around him- the gloom of heartbreak. I've seen it enough at Gotham North. My old friend Jayla had that exact same aura around her when her ex-boyfriend Eric got her pregnant then called her a whore and broke up with her in public. She kept the kid, and I've seen her around. I think the kid's name is Jordan.

_The hair on his face is dirty, dreadlocked, and full of mange_

"Hey man!" Wally greets Robin, and he gets a further twitch from the kid.

_**Recognized: Zatanna B08**_

He visibly stiffens at the ring of her designation. When she walks through the door, the smile plastered on his face gets a little darker. Zatanna is obviously happy, overjoyed, Hell she looks like Christmas came early and she got everything she wanted!

_He asked a man for what he could spare with shame in his eyes_

I watch curiously, eyebrows furred when the smile drops off of Robin's face and he turns to face Zatanna.

"When were you going to tell me you were seeing someone else?"

I'm shocked and slightly confused. Zatanna has no reason to cheat on Robin. It's so damn obvious how much he loves- er, loved- her.

"_Get a job you fuckin' slob"'s all he replied_

There's a small, silent pause in which you could hear a pin drop from across the room. Then she opens up her mouth and the so fucking obvious lies pour out.

"Robin, I don't know what you saw, but it's not what you think!" Really now? Pulling the doubt card? So cliché. Robin just stands there, the disbelief written across his face in the smallest print. I'm just as annoyed that Zatanna couldn't just admit it, too.

_God forbid ya ever had to walk a mile in his shoes_

Her eyes are wide and desperate as she continues. "It wasn't what it looked like. Robin, I need you! You're truly the only one for me, I promise, I swear! I'll even give you my word if you need!" That's a load of bullshit. She only needs Robin for her own well-being. She needs control over something, so she found what she could control.

Robin.

'_Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues_

She's walking towards him, arms up to wrap him in a hug. He doesn't want one, at least not from her. "Robin, I'm sorry if you think I'm cheating on you, but I'm not!" He turns even further away from her, holding up his right arm to keep her at a distance. Good for him. I can see how much Zatanna's trying to regain her hold on him, trying to keep him hers.

"No," he says, turning to face her. Shock writes itself across her features.

"What?" She steps back like she was just slapped, and I smirk in my head at the score Robin just made against the tyranny of cheaters. Cheaters have no place in this world. Cheaters wouldn't last very long in reality.

_Then you really might know what it's like_

"It's too late. I know exactly what I saw."

"Look, what do you think you saw? Because I can promise you, that it's not what it looked like!" Now her voice is dripping with falsities and desperation. She's trying to play him like she's been. I feel pity for the poor soul that thinks this bitchy woman actually loves him.

_Mary got pregnant from a kid named Tom who said he was in love_

"You've been cheating on me."

Oh shit. Deadpan voice. This does not bode well that Robin's letting himself go numb. Nothing good ever comes from numbness.

"I'm sorry, but-" He cuts her off. Good for him.

"No! No, you're not. Zatanna, it's too late for you to apologize," he sounds betrayed. He was betrayed.

_He said "don't worry about a thing Baby Doll, I'm the man you been dreamin' of"_

"What? Robin, I… Please, Robin, let me explain!" Her eyes are wide with begs. Don't fall for it, Robin, don't fall for it…

"No. I don't want to hear any of your excuses, your lies, or your empty promises." He's glaring at her now and I'm surprised she hasn't ran away screaming.

"I'm sorry! If you'd just let me explain-!" She's interrupted.

"No, I know I saw you sucking face with that one blonde. Zatanna, it's too late." It really is, girl. Can't you see that you've lost your chance with him?

"Robin! Just listen to me! Just listen to what you're implying!" Stop being so whiny and just suck it up, woman.

_But three months later he won't date her or return her call_

"I know what I'm stating. There's no implying about it-" Zatanna interrupts him. It's cute, in the most depressing way possible. She's getting desperate.

"Just let me explain!" Zatanna's glaring at him now.

"I am not listening to another lie you say. Zatanna, it's over. You don't get to use me any. More." Robin growls the last two words before stalking down the hall. A door slams.

_And she sweared "God damn if I find that man I'm cuttin' off his balls"_

"Zatanna, what? What's going on?" One last chance at redemption, bitch, I think as I ask.

"He thinks he saw me making out with another guy," she replies, cool as can be. Asshole.

Wally steps forward, glaring at her. "Stop lying. I've been watching you for a while, you know that right? Someone has to take care of Robin, and you're doing an awful fine job. Cheating on him. Hmph. I don't know why I ever liked you." He turns away from her, crossing his arms over his chest. Conner's glaring at Zatanna and I'd bet my life she's really happy he doesn't have heat vision.

"Why?" M'gann asks next. "Why would you cheat on him?" She sounds broken, upset, almost like she'd been crying.

_And then she heads for the clinic and she gets some static walkin' through the_ _door_

"I'm not," she growls, black, shiny hair starting to fall in her face.

"I believe that the evidence says otherwise," Kaldur says quietly, moving to stand right next to me. "But Wally and Robin have seen you cheating on him. And I have no doubts that if M'gann were to probe your mind, she would find it true."

"You can't! That's a betrayal of privacy!" Her glare gets more intense. God, just admit it already. Stop trying to justify something that can't be justified in any way, shape, or form.

_They call her a killer, and they call her a sinner, and they call her a whore_

"That's right. We don't even have any proof of Robin's statements, other than Wally and Robin's words," Raquel joins Zatanna's side, hands on her hips and locks of hair hanging in front of her eyes.

"You little bitch," Wally turns back around, glaring at her, emerald eyes on fire. "You don't know when to stop, do you? This is all just a game to you. But I'll tell you one thing." Wally gets right up in her face, their noses almost touching. "One of my friends in Central killed himself because he caught his girlfriend of a year and a half cheating on him with his best friend. You have no idea what cheating on someone can do to them!" My boyfriend stalks off to the couch, flopping down on it with his arms crossed.

_God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in her shoes_

"You're lying!" She spits, hair starting to get a little less neat and shiny. "No one would kill themselves because of cheating."

I have to hold back a snort. People will kill themselves for a lot of reasons. Trust me, I know a lot of people who have suicide. Gotham City has the highest suicide rate in the country, Blüdhaven the only other city anywhere near.

'_Cause then you really might have to know what it's like to have to choose_

"Keep telling yourself that, player," Wally shoots back over his shoulder. Raquel walks over to the whore, placing a hand on her arm. I can't make out what she murmurs, but Zatanna replies and walks down the hall towards Robin's room.

I pray to a God I don't believe in that she's not heading to Robin's room.

_Then you really might know what it's like_

That prayer is shattered when she runs back into the room, eyes wide. "He went in the airvents!" She chokes out, and my eyes go wider than hers.

"What?" Wally was next to her almost instantaneously. "Fuck! He can get anywhere in the mountain through there! God, who knows what the Hell he might do!"

"I'll check the training room," I volunteer before running off towards the room that was filled with sharp things and punching bags.

_I've seen a rich man beg_

I stumble into the room, looking around, even trying calling out a short "Robin". He's not here!

_I've seen a good man sin_

I stumble back out of the room. Where would I go if I was feeling depressed after finding out my significant other was cheating on me?

_I've seen a tough man cry_

"The top!" I gasp in realization, finding the stairs and beginning to sprint up them. What I wouldn't give to be a speedster.

_I've seen a loser win_

I pop out on top of the mountain, and my eyes go even wider when I see a shirtless Robin standing there, holding a bloody birdarang and covered in blood. I gasp.

He must have heard, because he turns around.

_And a sad man grin_

His glasses have fallen off and I don't even care. I rush over to him, grabbing his hand and prying the birdarang out of it.

_I heard an honest man lie_

I fall to my knees, Robin cradled in my arms. His eyes, a gorgeous, beautiful sky blue, are unfocused. I grab the side of his face, turning it gently towards me so I can see them better.

_I've seen the good side of bad_

I turn away from him, and I begin screaming. I don't even know what I screamed, all I know is that soon enough Wally is there, Robin is unconscious, and I'm shoving the ebony in the ginger's arms and stammering something about a hospital and they're gone in a blur of red and yellow and black.

_And the down side of up_

Soon enough, everyone else shows up. I guess they panic when they see me covered in blood.

"Where are they?" Conner growls, blue eyes glaring.

"Wally's running him to the nearest hospital," I choke out, everything still a blur. "Oh, God, you should've seen what he did."

"What?" It's her. The cheater, the heartbreaker, the player. Everything comes into focus, ice cold and sharp.

"He…" I don't really know how to say this. I turn the birdarang over in my hands. "He wrote on his arms."

_And everything in between_

"Gullible. Idiot. Tool. Worthless. Toy. Oh God, just… why Zatanna?" The ice turns to fire, rage writing itself across my features. "Why'd you have to do that to him, you fucking whore? He trusted you! Hell, I think he even loved you! And you turn around a stab him in the back! Is this all just a game to you, to see how long you can keep the other person in the dark? Go die in a hole, you dam bitch." I stalk towards the cave, pausing next to Kaldur. "I'm going to see if Wally got Robin there in time."

_I licked the silver spoon_

I walk down the stairs, finding my way to the hangar and hopping on my motorcycle. I slip my helmet on before taking off, leaving a roar behind me.

_Drank from the golden cup_

I'm driving through Happy Harbour, ignoring people's heads turning and barely staying below the speed limit. I take the exit towards the local hospital. Happy Harbour might not be that big, but it was big enough to warrant a hospital.

_Smoked the finest green_

I jump off my bike, turning it off and removing my helmet and placing it on the seat. I walk into the hospital, looking around and striding purposefully over when I see Wally.

"Is he okay?" I ask, looking around.

"He's in ICU," Wally said simply, dully. "He's getting a blood transfusion."

_I stroked the baddest dimes_

I nod before sitting down next to him. I'm numb- I never thought that Zatanna would do that. She had seemed so nice!

It felt like eternity before everyone else joins us. Well, everyone except for Zatanna. Kaldur sits next to Raquel, while Conner holds M'gann in his arms.

_At least a couple of times_

Soon enough the orderly walks towards us from the hallway. "Mr. West?" She says quietly. "Richard will be fine. It's a very good thing he has a friend like you. If you hadn't been as fast, he wouldn't have made it and would have bled out before we could get him a transfusion."

"Can we see him?" I ask for everyone, seeing as I'm pretty much the only one with the willpower to talk.

"After you two wash up, you can see him one at a time," she replies, looking us up and down. I nod, grabbing Wally's arm and pulling him up.

"C'mon Wally. Gotta go wash up," I say quietly to him, and he just follows me.

_Before I broke their heart_

He sighs. He's broken. I think we all are. Please, let the League get back from their off-world mission soon.

I place my hands under the scalding water, washing as much blood off as I can. The birdarang is still in my pocket, but I ignore it.

_You know where it ends_

I help Wally wash up before leading him back to the lobby where the orderly is still waiting with the rest of the Team. She nods at us before leading us upstairs.

He's in room 215. Wally goes in first, and I can hear him screaming and sobbing and cursing Zatanna over and over again.

_Yo, it usually depends on where you start_

Soon enough the orderlies have to go in and sedate him because he's disturbing everyone. They sit him down on a chair. He sits there with a glassy look in his eyes, and it's my turn.

_I knew this kid named Max_

I walk in, and oh God. He's just so small, so pale against the white hospital sheets. The life-giving crimson substance slides through tubes before slipping into his bloodstream. Bandages cover his arms- bloody bandages.

_He used to get fat stacks out on the corner with drugs_

I sit next to him, and break down into sobs. I bury my head in my arms and just let it all out.

Holy shit. What is going on.

Orderlies and doctors rush in and there's this God-awful beeping noise and oh my God.

The heart monitor.

It's flatlined.

_He liked to hang out late_

"Time of death twelve oh nine," I hear an orderly say, and another orderly walks outside to tell them.

He rejected the transfusion.

_He liked to get shit faced and keep pace with thugs_

I'm lead outside, and they send us back to our 'house'. There we sit for hours, eventually crying each other to sleep.

_Until late one night there was a big gun fight and Max lost his head_

We're woken by the zeta tubes and the computer announcement.

_**Recognized: Batman 02**_

I lift my head, and everyone does the same. We can see the Dark Knight standing there. At once, M'gann and Raquel burst into tears. Kaldur and Wally let manly sniffs through, and Conner just stares.

_He pulled out his Colt .45 talked some shit and wound up dead_

It's up to me. "Batman. Sir. If you're going to kill anyone, kill Zatanna. She's the one who cheated on him, that fucking bitch."

That's all I say before burying my head in Wally's chest, and all six of us break into sobs. Batman just stands there like I walked up to him and slapped him.

_And now his wife and his kids are caught in the midst of all his pain_

The funeral is even more unbearable. Zatanna shows up. She says some words, cries some tears.

That's the day that I find out that my annoying, lovable little troll of a brother was mathlete Dick Grayson.

_You know it comes that way, at least that's what they say when you play the game._

What I say, well, I guess it's a tear jerker.

"I didn't know him that well. But I loved him like a brother. And when that bitch tore out his heart, well, I want to kill her. Hell, I might even still end up killing her."

That's all I said.

_God forbid you ever had to wake up to hear the news_

You want to know what she said after I said that?

"I didn't mean for him to end up killing himself. I thought I loved him. But I love Mark. I was only trying to keep him happy."

That's where I scream and launch myself at her, a knife pulled from who knows where.

'_Cause then you really might know what it's like to have to lose_

I dig it into her chest, aiming to kill. All I know is that someone pulls me off of her, and gets rid of my knife.

It's the blonde guy, and I turn on him, kicking at him and I think I end up breaking his jaw.

'_Cause then you really might know what it's like_

I wish I'd broke his neck.

I warned him that night, though.

"Don't trust her. She'll end up getting bored with you. I know- she's the reason I just lost my little brother. Well, technically it was a rejected blood transfusion, but she's the reason he even had to have that blood transfusion."

God, I just have to get rid of the pain…

I grab my bow, and my arrows, and take out my anger on that bitch in the hospital.

She's dead.

_To have to lose…_


End file.
